Penn's Landing: Page 4
THE U.S.S. BECUNA
Sitting right next to the great battleship is a submarine. Commissioned in 1944 to serve as the submarine flagship of the Southwest Pacific Fleet under General Douglas MacArthur, the guppy-class Becuna was credited with destroying thousands of tons of Japanese naval and merchant ships including a battleship. After the war, the Becuna was re-equipped with a larger electric battery, sophisticated radar, and torpedoes with nuclear warheads. The submarine went on to serve in the Atlantic and Mediterranean during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Finally, the Becuna became a training submarine at New London, Connecticut, and was decommissioned in 1969.
It doesn't take a nuclear submarine scientist to know that conditions aboard the Becuna are claustrophobic. But upon squeezing through the manholelike opening into the belly of the beast for the first time, one still isn't adequately prepared for the compactness that awaits. The self-guided tour starts in the torpedo room where the smell from the oil and grease coating the machinery constricts one's nose and stomach. On top of that, an average-sized adult will feel positively Brobdingnagian in here because it feels like walking into a dollhouse. For instance, a trio of tiered cots on the starboard wall look like kids' furniture until one sidles up to them and realizes they are of normal size. For all that, the sensations of claustrophobia and constriction start to fade quickly and the Becuna takes on an intimate feel. The most compelling parts of this compartment are its ten mesmerizing torpedo tubes. If you have ever watched a WWII submarine movie in your lifetime, Pavlovian results might now occur. In your mind you may find yourself reaching for a periscope and saying, "Fire one, fire two," as you hear the sizzling "pfffff" sound of deadly torpedoes slicing the water. The submarine is shaken by intense vibrations as the radio man announces, "Direct hit on an enemy warship."
Shaking off the fantasy and moving aft in the sub, one comes upon the officers' shower. An ecologically minded sign reads, "Save Water — Shower with a friend." The officers' quarters have unexpectedly spacious sleeping berths. Across from the berths, a recreation area shows a card-playing mannequin relaxing while off-duty. A non-politically-correct pack of non-filtered cigarettes is by the mannequin's side.
Passing into the next compartment one finds a memorial to the U.S.S. Thresher, a submarine lost in action, reinforcing the danger implicit in submarine duty. One moves on to the crews' quarters. Though not as well-appointed as the officers' quarters, there are tables featuring backgammon and chessboards.
From there, one moves into the control room and radio room. A mannequin is squeezed into the radio room and is shown writing down a message. Past that are the engine rooms highlighted by two pairs of diesel workhorses named Grunt and Groan, and Huff and Puff.
Heading back out of the sub one is struck by its length. For those interested in its measurements, the Becuna weighs 1,526 tons with a standard displacement of 308 feet in length and a beam of 27 feet. The sub was powered by four, 16-cylinder diesel engines producing 20.3 knots of surface speed and by 252 battery cells for underwater electrical propulsion of 9 knots. The maximum crew number was 66 — hard to believe!
- John Fitch demonstrated his steamboat before the Constitutional Convention here in 1787.
- In the 1680s people lived in caves dug into the banks of the Delaware River.
- The Ben Franklin Bridge was the world's largest suspension bridge when completed in 1926.
- In 1837, a crowd of 100,000 gathered at the Naval Ship Yard for the launching of the U.S.S. Pennsylvania, a 120-gun ship which took 15 years to build.
- The world's first ice breaker was built for the city of Philadelphia to break ice in the Delaware. City boat No. 1 remained in service for 80 years.
- Location: Columbus Avenue (formerly Delaware Avenue) between South and Vine Streets. (Map)
- Built: 1967
- Tourism information: There are four footbridges which cross over I-95 and Columbus Avenue onto Penn's Landing, at Market, Chestnut, Walnut, and South Streets. A riverbus runs between here and the Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey.
- Seaport Museum: Penn's Landing at Walnut Street. Open daily 10-5 (closed Christmas and Thanksgiving). Fees (see below). 215-925-5439
- U.S.S. Olympia & U.S.S. Becuna: Penn's Landing at Spruce Street. Open daily 10-4:30 (closed Christmas and New Year's Day); Summer hours 10-5. Fees (see below). 215-922-1898
- Gazela: Penn's Landing at Market Street. Labor-Memorial Day Sa-Su noon-5pm; Memorial-Labor Day daily 10am-6pm. 215-923-9030
- Riverlink Ferry: Connects Penn's Landing with Camden, NJ, the aquarium, entertainment center, Riversharks baseball, etc. Call 215-925-LINK
- Facilities: Public bathrooms, benches, hammocks, outdoor games, arcade. Food and drink, including alcohol in a reserved area for adults with ID.
